In fast-paced manufacturing and distribution operations, unexplained system interruptions can quickly impact productivity. The common indicators include:
- A robotic arm loses its home position,
- A PLC goes into stop mode, or
- A high-speed sorter stops abruptly.
While these unexplained interruptions on automated material handling equipment rarely leave a clear mechanical trace, the resulting downtime can have a significant impact on productivity and operating costs.
The team at Process Control Services UK Ltd (PCS) have been diagnosing these sporadic failures for decades. A deeper electrical infrastructure problem is typically the cause of what frequently appears to be a software bug or a malfunctioning sensor.
Let’s take a look at the common reasons your automated material handling equipment is randomly resetting and what you can do about it.
1. The Problem with Dirty Power
These days, the majority of industrial sites are equipped with inverters and variable speed drives (VSDs). They are well known for producing harmonic distortion, despite their exceptional energy efficiency. The electrical noise produced by this dirty power disrupts the delicate low-voltage signals that automation controllers rely on.
In our experience at PCS, you are dealing with voltage sags or transients rather than a software bug if your system resets when a large motor elsewhere in the plant starts up. Although these power dips are frequently too quick to trip a breaker, they are more than sufficient to restart a PLC.
2. Cable Segregation and EMI
Inadequate cable management is another frequent offender we discover during site audits. Power and data cables are frequently crammed into or on the same cable management. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) results from this.
Heavy current flowing through high-voltage cables can produce a magnetic field that can cause phantom signals in adjacent data wiring. The dreaded random reset results from the system interpreting this interference as a fault or an emergency stop. To harden the system against EMI, we at PCS make sure that appropriate segregation on cable management along with shielded cables and terminations are given top priority.
Solving the Reset
● Understanding the Role of the Control Panel
We have paid close attention to how a panel’s physical construction affects system reliability ever since we acquired BJ Control Panels. Automation is silently killed by heat. The internal processors will periodically throttle or reset to prevent thermal damage if a control panel is inadequately ventilated or if components are crowded.
We examine the brain in the control panel rather than just the belt or the motor. Ninety percent of random downtime can be eliminated by making sure your panel has active harmonic filtering and high-quality surge protection.
● Forensic Diagnosis
It takes more than a standard multimeter to solve these problems. We record events that occur in milliseconds using sophisticated power quality analysers. We are able to determine precisely what transpired at the time of the reset by keeping an eye on your system in real time.
Is your production being hindered by sporadic errors that your internal team is unable to replicate? Then it is time for a forensic electrical approach. In order to transition from reactive firefighting to a stable, optimised operation, we offer the technical clarity required.
Stop Guessing and Start Solving with PCS
Contact Process Control Services UK Ltd (PCS) today to schedule a comprehensive power quality audit or a control system health check. Call us at 01889 503540 or drop us an email at sales@pcsukltd.co.uk.
